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The level of European Union (EU) development aid to Malawi will be known today when the union’s team of experts from its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium discloses findings on how the country has been using its development assistance.
Head of EU delegation in the country Wiepke van der Goot said in an interview Tuesday the experts comprising head of unit Philippe Darmuzey and the desk officer for Malawi Panayiotis Passadeos will hold a press conference in Lilongwe today.
Government sources have said the EU experts, who have been in the country since last week, have powers to recommend that their development assistance to Malawi be reduced if they are not happy with the way government has been using their resources.
Malawi is expected to get 345 million euros (about K48.3 billion) from the EU under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF), which was approved in 2002 to support various sectors of the economy over a period of five years.
EU press and information officer Charles Undulu said the midterm review looked at the status of the implementation of EU assistance in the main focal sectors of transport, agriculture, natural resources and food security.
“They are looking at the current state of affairs and how the projects have benefited the people in the country,” he said.
Undulu said the team has been holding discussions with various cabinet ministers and other government officials since last week on how government has been implementing various projects supported by the EU.
In the agriculture and food security sectors, the delegation runs a public works programme and provides support to National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) among others.
It also provides support to Malawi Human Rights Commission, Office of the Ombudsman and Anti Corruption Bureau under the good governance programme while its aid in the transport sector focuses on construction of new roads.
Transport Minister Henry Mussa, whose ministry had problems with the delegation said Tuesday he had discussions with the experts on Monday “and we agreed to focus on the future and not the problems we have been having in the past”.
The EU recently reduced funding to the country’s projects, citing diversion of funds to other activities as a reason.
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